Cooler For A Spell

The Big and Lil' have had an adventurous couple of weeks. The first was spent with Nettie and Papa in Chapin: fishing, cooking, swimming, eating things at 9am that should be eaten at 3 or 4pm, staying up late, getting dirty, burping, pooting, peeing in the yard. An all out free-for-all. While the kids were there, Daddy and I worked but also had fun being married without kids again. We didn't do much but we did have some great peeps come to town for a golf tournament and for some real down home swimming in the pool late at night, laughing your hiney off fun. It was a great break for all of us.

On Sunday, we picked up the little dirt balls and took them to a place with a whole other climate. I love where we live. It's beautiful. There is water at every turn and marsh grass and spanish moss swinging in the breeze. That breeze. That breeze is hot folks. It's swampy. And mosquitoey. A breeze that blows at 98 degrees is really no breeze at all. More like hot hangover breath. So, we got outta town and went cooler for a spell and here's what we learned:
- Big loves a wife beater t-shirt.
- Lil' is a little bit more brave than we've all given her credit for.
- Mama and Daddy can look really rough at times.
Here's what we did:
- Sliding Rock - slid down 60ft of river rock. Yes, even you Lil'.
- Hiked
- Floated the Green River
-Fished and fished and fished.

Where She's Been

Because I want to make sure that this post by my sister makes it into my blog book, I've copied and pasted it here. Not only is she awesome because I can always count on her to capture the moment, but she's also great because she loves her nieces and nephews enough to make special trips like this one when I can't go. Nettie comes from here and these are all reasons why we love her....

Where I Have Been

I have been so excited about this post. I could hardly wait until I got home to share where I have been, because I can promise you- there's nothing, absolutely nothing quite like it.

The last few days I have been digging my bare feet in the sand and smelling whiffs of old tobacco barns. I have been covered in cat hair and dog hair and loving every minute of it. I have been eating field peas with snaps and drinking Mountain Dews. I have been hearing chickens, donkeys, tractors, and the hum window ac units mixed with Grandma's big band 1930s music. I have been to a place where time is a lot s..l..o..w..e..r. And let me tell you- it feels so good to slow down. There's truly no way of explaining where I have been, so I'll just have to show you.

This is where my mama's from and this is where a lot of the parts of my siblings and I come from. I see glimpses of us from time to time whether it may be in the swimming hole, in the barn, on the other end of a fishing line, or inside a giant magnolia tree. Now, I even see it in these little faces...

Yep, this is where I have been.